Reading Twilight
by QuidditchStar09
Summary: Three months have gone by since Edward left Bella, and now Alice has convinced Edward to come celebrate Christmas with the Cullen's. As he arrives, a mysterious package arrives, with four books. (Poor Rosalie, it landed on her perfect hairdo). The books may or may not change the future, but will Edward crack and go to Bella?
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first story. Take is easy one me?_

* * *

_December. _

Pain, that's all he felt. Pain and longing is all he could feel for the last three months. The three months stretched out into a thousand years. But, through it all, somehow Alice made him come back to the mansion – she'd said something about "The spirit of Christmas", but that didn't work, she mentioned the vision.

Carlisle gave him a small smile as he walked through the door of the mansion. _Good to see you, son. _Edward did pick up on that he didn't say- didn't _think _'good to see you _home'_. Emse, on the other hand, gave him a big hug, and if she could cry, she would have. Losing her first son for three months was torture – but she knew why. Didn't exactly help, though.

Some things never change, he supposed, everyone else was in the sitting room, waiting for them to join. Alice had told them about the vision, but no one (not even Jasper) knew what it was.

"Eddie!" Emmett boomed as soon as they entered , "How nice of you to join us." And he winked at Edward, because he's Emmett.

"Don't call me 'Eddie'." Edward snarled. In retaliation, Emmett sang '_Eddie, Eddie, Eddie' _in his mind. _Eddie _growled, but before he could, Jasper lunged at Emmett being fuelled by Edwards rage. _At least the rage is something than else than pain, _he thought.

The two boys went crashing in the sitting room – Esme was definitely not pleased – when something fell onto Rosalie's head.

Carlisle, the calm, ignored Rosalie's shrieks about her hair and opened the box. In it was four books.

"Books?" Emmett exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, Emmett, books! Something intelligent people use." Jasper teased.

Emmett snatched the first book, _Twilight, _and flipped through the pages… to find they were blank!

A hand scribbled note appeared in the first page, as well as the first chapter. It read:

_Dear Cullens,_

_These books are important. One is in the past and three are in the future. It is up to you to decide if you change the future. _

_The chapters will only appear after you finish the one before. This means no one can skip ahead! You must all read it, even you Edward._

_My gift as a muse can only go so far. Don't waste this opportunity._

_SM P.S. the book order is as follows, _Twilight_, _New Moon_, _Eclipse _and then_ Breaking Dawn_._

"SM? Who's SM?"

"No one knows, Jasper." Alice said with a glint in her eye (which made Edward look into her mind to find out she's reciting French poetry in her head), "Why don't we read it though? I'll start"

Opening the book she began, "**Preface**."

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_**So, please, review? Too long-winded?**_

_**Love you guys already! ^_^**_


	2. Chapter 2 - The reading begins

**_A very short chapter, I'm still getting used to it!_**

* * *

_"SM? Who's SM?"_

_"No one knows, Jasper." Alice said with a glint in her eye (which made Edward look into her mind to find out she's reciting French poetry in her head), "Why don't we read it though? I'll start"_

_Opening the book she began, "__**Preface**__._

**"I'd never given much thought to how I would die- thought I'd have enough reason in the last few months- but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this."**

A sparkle of life lit up in Edward's eyes.

"First paragraph and already she's about to die" he murmured softly.

"That's Bella! Hey Eddie?" chuckled Emmett. Pain quickly flashed through Edwards's eyes before he could out on his mask. Again.

_You don't need to hurt, she is your mate. You could go to her. _

Alice got a dark look and growl from 'Eddie' before she continued.

**"I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he looked pleasantly back at me." **

A chorus of growls rand throughout the room at the mention of the hunter. Although, Emmett grinned smugly and flexed his large muscles proudly.

"Took him down... Easy!" Jasper snorted and sent a wave of humility towards Emmett to shut him up.

"JASPER!"

**"Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of some else, someone I loved." **

"No, don't even think of dying!"

"Stop interrupting, Edward!"

**"Noble, even. That ought to count for something. I knew that if I'd never gone to Forks, I wouldn't be facing death right now. But, terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it's not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end." **

**The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me."**

Edward snapped the arm off of the chair he was sitting on, and clenched his hands before he could break anymore of the chair. He didn't need Esme to kill him for breaking the furniture. But the rage didn't die down.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!"

_Good luck, bro. You're screwed! My hair!_

_My helpful family_, he thought sarcastically

* * *

_**Thanks to lindseyCullen12 and ReadingNerd394 who reviewed and another thanks to Embrace1another, winstonwolfe, josey8604, coolgle, ReadingNerd394 and lindseyCullen12! And everyone else who viewed it**_

_**Cookies and ice-cream to you all! ._. **_


	3. First sight(and Emmett gets hit a lot!)

_**First real chapter! I'm excited! Basically, this is when you decide if I suck or not!. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, although I do own Edward. **_

_**SM: *coughs***_

_**Me: Okay I don't! **_

* * *

"Edward Anthony Cullen!"

_Good luck, bro. You're screwed! My hair!_

_My helpful family_, he thought sarcastically.

"Edward! Control your temper!"

"Yes, Mom" said sheepish-looking vampire.

_I'm taking it easy on you because I'm just glad you're home. _

"Please, continue Alice." Esme sighed.

"But I already read," Alice pouted, "Edward should do it."

Esme just sighed again as Edward took the book and sent a dark look to Alice. Rosalie was _officially _his favourite sister.

"**First sight" **he began.

Emmett interrupted before we could begin, "Oh! I bet she sees us!" (the squeal could rival Alice's)

'**My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I was wearing my favourite shirt-sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it was a farewell gesture.'**

Rosalie snorted. "Not the best outfit for Forks"

'**My carry-on was a parka.'**

"Oh"

'**In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town names Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in United States of America.' **

"Perfect for vampires," Carlisle said, "Well, mainly vegetarian vampires."

'**It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead.'**

"Interesting, as she leaves, we return. You may have been able to meet her earlier Edward,"Carlisle mused.

Emmett grinned and then burst out laughing for no apparent reason. They all just stared at him for a while. But glancing at Edward, they saw his lips twitched which made the sadness in his eyes only became more pronounced.

"Trying to… Imagine… Bella… Stomping… Her foot!" He choked out between large guffaws.

"That's what you take in from the text?" Jasper asked with raised eyebrows trying hard not to laugh at his brother who looked like a baboon who had breathed in too much laughing gas.

Edward's lips twitched again and Jasper sent calming waves towards the baboon. It wasn't easy though, Edward's pain and longing was excruciating and sending _him _happiness wasn't working.

_Maybe Edward will change his mind and go back to Forks? Even though it was my fault we left. I deserve the pain too. _He grimaced and subconsciously pulled Alice closer to him.

Edward luckily, didn't notice his musings, just carried on reading.

'**It was to Forks that I now exiled myself- an action that I took with great horror. I detested Forks.'**

"Then why come here?" Rosalie hissed.

Edward snarled, "She's the most selfless person you can meet, don't disrespect her!"

'"**I loved Phoenix. I loved the sun and the blistering heat. I loved the vigorous, sprawling city. **

"**Bella," my mom said to me – the last of a thousand times – before I got on the plane. "You don't have to do this." **

**My mom looks like me, except with short hair and laugh lines. I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my loving, erratic, harebrained mother to fend for herself?'**

"She's been forced to be the adult at a young age, a factor that may play in her selflessness." Carlisle murmured to himself.

"She does have an 'old soul'," Esme whispered back (although everyone else can hear them) "That's probably another reason why she understood Edward so well."

'**Of course she had Phil now, so the bills would probably be paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still… **

"**I **_**want **_**to go," I lied. I'd always been a bad liar, but I'd been saying this lie so frequently lately that it sounded almost convincing now.'**

Emmett snorted. "She's still a bad liar!"

"Yes, Emmett," replied Jasper, "and you're still annoying!"

Emmett proceeded to tackle Jasper to the floor where they went crashing around the room, and broke two vases, snap legs of chairs and tables and dent a dresser.

"Emmett Cullen! Jasper Hale!"

_Shit. _

_Sending calming waves-now. _

"Jasper, don't you dare try to calm me down! You both clean up this mess now and no TV for two weeks."

Quicker than our human eyes can follow, the burly brunette and the military man –_ vampire_ – cleaned up the mess, I could swear I saw Emmett shaking as he did so!

_Dammit! There's the football game on tonight! _

And Edward decided to continue** '"Tell Charlie I said hi." **

"**I will." **

"**I'll see you soon,' she insisted, "You can come home whenever you want- I'll come right back as soon as you need me." **

**But I could see the sacrifice in her eyes behind the promise. **

"**Don't worry about me," I urged. "It'll be great. I love you, Mom." **

Edward read the last part to Esme who smiled softly back.

_Oh, sure, read lousy line and you're off the hook? _

Edward sent a smug look towards Emmett's way.

_Just reading about her makes you better, what if you actually __**go**__ to her? _Alice contemplated, _She's your mate, and you are hers. She'll never find someone else and you don't need to go through the pain. _

The pixie was ignored and Eddie carried on reading.

'**She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane and she was gone. **

**It was a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, though, I was a little worried about.'**

"Why would she worry about that?" Esme asked bewildered.

"Neither of them are exactly talkative"

"Oh"

'**Charlie had been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence.'**

"Of course he is, it's his only child and he loves her. Any parent would be pleased." Esme said (with a pointed look at Edwards's way)

'**He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car. **

**But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. Neither of us was what anyone would call verbose, and I didn't know what there was to say regardless.'**

"See?" Emmett said smugly

"Actually, Emmett, I said that neither of them likes to talk!" Alice argued back.

"If you say so…"

One pillow collided with his face with so much force he knocked over the chair, sprawling on the floor while everyone looked on with amusement. He eventually got up, grumbling.

'**I knew he was more than a little confused by my decision-like my mother before me, I hadn't made a secret of my distaste for Forks.'**

_She sure changed her mind, hey Eddie? _

"Emmett, babe, why on earth are you winking at Edward? Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"…"

'**When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen-just unavoidable. I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun.' **

"Clever," Carlisle said softly.

'**Charlie was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting, too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top.'**

A chorus of agreements rang throughout the room.

'**Nothing slows down traffic like a cop.'**

Again, more agreements.

'**Charlie gave me an awkward, one-armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane.'**

"Stumbling, of course."

**"It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"**

**"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." I wasn't allowed to call him Charlie to his face.**

**I had only a few bags. Most of my Arizona clothes were too permeable for Washington. My mom and I had pooled our resources to supplement my winter wardrobe, but it was still scanty. It all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.**

"Impossible! That's… disgusting! It's illogical!" Alice cried

"Alice, I would like to please continue!" Edward snapped.

**"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in.**

**"What kind of car?" I was suspicious of the way he said "good car **_**for you" **_**as opposed to just "good car."**

Rosalie shivered, "That car is a disgrace to the name!" she sneered out the word 'car' as if she thought anything but.

'"**Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."**

"**Where did you find it?"**

**"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast.'**

A very good idea is to mention a Quileute elder and the werewolf territory to a clan of vampires. Nothing like a few hisses and growls that would send any normal person running for the hills!

'**"No."**

**"He used to go fishing with us during the summer," Charlie prompted.**

**That would explain why I didn't remember him. I do a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory.'**

"I sincerely hope so."

"Edward," Esme said softly to her son, "she's your_ mate. _She loves you more than anything and you do too, she won't forget you." She got up from her seat next to Carlisle and put her hand on his shoulder and made him look into her eyes.

"I put her in harm's way by just being with her!"

Esme sighed and went back to sit next to Carlisle. Carlisle put an arm around her shoulder and drew her close whispering in her ear.

"Oi, Jaz," Emmett smirked, "Bet you twenty bucks that Edward goes back to Bella by the end of this book.

Jasper regarded Edward's emotions and then replied to Emmett, "Nah he's too stubborn. He'll go by the third."

"He'll be at Bella's side by the end of the second." Alice chimed in.

Rosalie couldn't ignore the bet either, "He's an ass-"

"Language!"

"-moron but he'll crack before we finish. So I'm with Jasper."

Edward's hands tightened considerably around the books, "Never, actually." His voice broke towards the end. He choked with dry sobs, drowning with despair. Jasper looked like he was about to do the same, but somehow sent calming waves towards the broken vampire.

Esme quicker than lightning was comforting her son, giving him encouragements, and holding him. But he stopped gave a small smile to Esme and said he would continue. Esme didn't move until she was sure he could carry on.

_No one wants to see their son in pain. _

"The bet's still on!"

Rosalie, seeing the looks that were pointed her way, slapped her husband on his thick head.

'"**He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when I didn't respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."**

**"What year is it?" I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping I wouldn't ask.**

**"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine — it's only a few years old, really."**

**I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe I would give up that easily.' **

Edward smiled softly, "That's Bella, stubborn to the point of irritation."

**"When did he buy it?"**

**"He bought it in 1984, I think."**

**"Did he buy it new?"**

**"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties — or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.**

**"Ch — Dad, I don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and I couldn't afford a mechanic…"**

**"Really, Bella, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore."**

_**The thing**_**, I thought to myself… it had possibilities — as a nickname, at the very least.'**

Emmett roared with laughter, but was the only one.

'"**How cheap is cheap?" After all, that was the part I couldn't compromise on.**

**"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at me with a hopeful expression.' **

_It's sweet that he cares about her so much, _Esme thought,_ he only wishes to make her stay more enjoyable._

'**Wow. Free.**

**"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."**

**"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. I inherited that from him. So I was looking straight ahead as I responded.**

**"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." No need to add that my being happy in Forks is an impossibility.' **

"Oh does she change her mind quickly," Emmett winked.

'**He didn't need to suffer along with me. And I never looked a free truck in the mouth — or engine.**

**"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled, embarrassed by my thanks.**

**We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet,**

"No really?" Rosalie snapped sarcastically

'**And that was pretty much it for conversation. We stared out the windows in silence.**

**It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.**

**It was too green — an alien planet. **

"But isn't seventy-five percent of the world green? The green planet?" Emmett asked with a blank expression.

Alice burst into laughter, Rose hit her husband again and Carlisle and Esme just smiled.

"It's called the _blue _planet, you idiot because it's mostly covered in _water_." Jasper responded between laughs.

He gasped in fake horror, his eyes widening and he pretended to choke.

'**Eventually we made it to Charlie's. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had — the early ones. There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new — well, new to me — truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, I loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged — the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed. "Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!"'**

"Why anyone would love a car like that…" Rosalie shrugged.

' **Now my horrific day tomorrow would be just that much less dreadful. I wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser.**

**"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again.**

**It took only one trip to get all my stuff upstairs.'**

Alice jumped to her feet in a quick moment and let out a (not-so) quiet shriek. "ONE trip?! Just one trip?! It's bad enough that her clothes fit easily; I can let that slide, but one trip? Does she have no taste at all?"

The rest of the Cullens just chuckled at her, causing Alice to glare at them. "I hate you all." She declared as she sat next to Jasper.

"I know you don't hate me," Jasper whispered in her ear. Alice simply grinned at him, and whispered back, "If you could sleep, you'd be on the couch."

Emmett just roared with laughter, one arm slung over his wife's shoulders, chanting "Someone isn't getting any!" over and over again until Rose gave him a fierce look and said the most dreaded words in a man's life:

"Emmett I swear, if you don't stop shut up and keep interrupting, no sex for a week." Emmett gulped and looked at the blonde with wide eyes.

'**I got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard.**

**The room was familiar; it had been belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window — these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as I grew. The desk now held a secondhand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner.**

**There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Charlie. I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact.**

**One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn't hover. He left me alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother. It was nice to be alone, not to have to smile and look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape.**

"Don't cry, Bella," Esme said concerned for her. Carlisle just squeezed his wife's hands in reassurance.

**I wasn't in the mood to go on a real crying jag. I would save that for bedtime, when I would have to think about the coming morning.**

**Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven — now fifty-eight — students; there were more than seven hundred people in my junior class alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together — their grandparents had been toddlers together.'**

"Except for _us_!" Alice sang. "Although," she frowned, "you may have known their _great- _grandparents."

'**I would be the new girl from the big city, a curiosity, a freak.' **

"And, yet, she somehow managed to get herself a fan club!" Edward interrupted himself

Emmett smirked at _Eddie_, "Including yourself? I think you would have been the President of the fan club." He teased.

Edward just looked at Emmett with dead eyes, while a million needles stabbed into his heart. Emmett looked as if he could blush, shiver and go back into time to change what he said, he would.

'**Maybe, if I looked like a girl from Phoenix should, I could work this to my advantage. But physically, I'd never fit in anywhere. I should be tan, sporty, blond — a volleyball player, or a cheerleader, perhaps — all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun.'**

"But you were my sun; you lit up my whole life." Edward mumbled gently.

_Edward, you need to go to her! Go to her, you ass! I've seen it! Since when did you become Romeo? _

Edward didn't even reply but just carried on reading.

'**Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine. I had always been slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete; I didn't have the necessary hand-eye coordination to play sports without humiliating myself — and harming both myself and anyone else who stood too close.'**

Everyone had a smile on their face as they all agreed. Emmett laughed (a surprise!) and Alice giggled.

'**When I finished putting my clothes in the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled, damp hair. Maybe it was the light, but already I looked sallower, unhealthy.'**

"Very pessimistic." Jasper observed.

'**My skin could be pretty — it was very clear, almost translucent-looking — but it all depended on color. I had no color here.' **

"Like I said, pessimistic. At least she isn't as pale as us!"

**Facing my pallid reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was lying to myself. It wasn't just physically that I'd never fit in. And if I couldn't find a niche in a school with three thousand people, what were my chances here?'**

"As Edward pointed out, she really was blind to her fan club!" Alice said smugly.

"She did fit in kick-ass vampires!" Emmett boomed just as smug.

'**I didn't relate well to people my age.**'

"No, you relate to vampires!"

"Alice!"

"Okay, sorry, _Eddie._"

'**Maybe the truth was that I didn't relate well to people, period.' **

"Yes, Alice we get it, we're not strictly _people._" Jasper sighed.

'**Even my mother, who I was closer to than anyone else on the planet, was never in harmony with me, never on exactly the same page. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. But the cause didn't matter. All that mattered was the effect. And tomorrow would be just the beginning.**

**I didn't sleep well that night, even after I was done crying. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. I pulled the faded old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too. But I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quieter drizzle.**

**Thick fog was all I could see out my window in the morning, and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a cage.**

**Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished me good luck at school. I thanked him, knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me.'**

"And danger seemed to always find you!" Edward exclaimed with a huff.

**Charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unmatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark panelled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor.**

**Nothing was changed. My mother had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Charlie and my mom in Las Vegas, then one of the three of us in the hospital after I was born, taken by a helpful nurse, followed by the procession of my school pictures up to last year's. Those were embarrassing to look at — I would have to see what I could do to get Charlie to put them somewhere else, at least while I was living here.**

**It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Charlie had never gotten over my mom. It made me uncomfortable.**

"That would make anybody uncomfortable." Rosalie commented sympathetically.

A chorus of gasps throughout the room

"Rose, babe-"

"…sympathetic-

"Are you sure it's-"

Rosalie growled at them, "Shut up," she hissed menacingly, "Edward. Continue."

'**I didn't want to be too early to school, but I couldn't stay in the house anymore. I donned my jacket — which had the feel of a biohazard suit — and headed out into the rain.**

**It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots was unnerving. I missed the normal crunch of gravel as I walked. I couldn't pause and admire my truck again as I wanted; I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood.**

**Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. Well, a truck this old was bound to have a flaw. The antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected.'**

"Her new stereo is so much better!" Emmett teased.

**Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made me stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. Where was the feel of the institution? I wondered nostalgically. Where were the chain-link fences, the metal detectors?' **

"Welcome to Forks High!" Emmett said as if he was a game show host and the book could actually hear him.

'**I parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but I decided I would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot. I stepped unwillingly out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. I took a deep breath before opening the door.**

**Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed.**

**The red-haired woman looked up. "Can I help you?"**

**"I'm Isabella Swan," I informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. I was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. Daughter of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come home at last.' **

"That's exactly what they were thinking!" Alice giggled.

**"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for. "I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show me.**

**She went through my classes for me, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave me a slip to have each teacher sign, which I was to bring back at the end of the day. She smiled at me and hoped, like Charlie, that I would like it here in Forks. I smiled back as convincingly as I could.**

**When I went back out to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the school, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older like mine, nothing flashy. At home I'd lived in one of the few lower-income neighborhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo, and it stood out.'**

Rosalie snorted and gestured to Edward. "That's one's baby. Can't even think about driving it!"

**Still, I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to me. **

"It didn't work." Jasper said.

**I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now; hopefully I wouldn't have to walk around with it stuck in front of my nose all day. I stuffed everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. I can do this, I lied to myself feebly. No one was going to bite me. I finally exhaled and stepped out of the truck.**

**I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowded with teenagers. My plain black jacket didn't stand out, I noticed with relief.'**

"But _you _do!" Jasper snickered.

"Jasper, we get it!" Alice said smugly and punched him on the arm with a smirk on her pixie face.

_Revenge is sweet._

'**Once I got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner. I felt my breathing gradually creeping toward hyperventilation as I approached the door. I tried holding my breath as I followed two unisex raincoats through the door.**

**The classroom was small. The people in front of me stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. I copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. At least my skin wouldn't be a standout here.'**

Emmett snorted-again. "It may not be as brilliant as ours, but it still stands out!"

'**I took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at me when he saw my name — not an encouraging response — and of course I flushed tomato red. But at least he sent me to an empty desk at the back without introducing me to the class. It was harder for my new classmates to stare at me in the back, but somehow, they managed. I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. I'd already read everything. That was comforting… and boring. I wondered if my mom would send me my folder of old essays, or if she would think that was cheating.'**

"We definitely cheat then!" Emmett jumped and punched the air …

Carlisle reprimanded him, "Emmett! You're not supposed to proud of cheating!"

"But we do!"

"Emmett, please sit and let Edward continue."

'**I went through different arguments with her in my head while the teacher droned on.'**

"That doesn't make her sound crazy at all!" Jasper, surprisingly, laughed with everyone else.

'**When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, a gangly boy with skin problems and hair black as an oil slick leaned across the aisle to talk to me.** **"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He looked like the overly helpful, chess club type.' **

"Yorkie." Edward growled.

"Edward! If you break one more thing…"

'"**Bella," I corrected. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at me.**

**"Where's your next class?" he asked.**

**I had to check in my bag. "Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building six."**

**There was nowhere to look without meeting curious eyes.**

**"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way…" Definitely over-helpful.'**

"The first of many!" Emmett guffawed.

'**"I'm Eric," he added.**

**I smiled tentatively. "Thanks."**

**We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. I could have sworn several people behind us were walking close enough to eavesdrop. I hoped I wasn't getting paranoid.'**

"Unless you're a vampire, you don't have to be that close!" Alice grinned.

"Children, you weren't spying on the poor dear?" Emse asked concerned.

Emmett coughed that sounded surprisingly like, "'Eddie's a stalker!"

'**"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" he asked.**

**"Very."**

**"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"**

**"Three or four times a year."**

**"Wow, what must that be like?" he wondered.**

**"Sunny," I told him.**

**"You don't look very tan."**

**"My mother is part albino."'**

"Really?!" Emmett said with a surprised look, "But her you meet her mom…"

**He studied my face apprehensively, and I sighed. It looked like clouds and a sense of humor didn't mix.**

"Forget what I just said!"

**A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm.**

"No you don't! Not with us, you didn't."

"Didn't you just believe her?" Jasper teased his brother.

"Psht, I knew!"

**We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked me right to the door, though it was clearly marked.**

**"Well, good luck," he said as I touched the handle. "Maybe we'll have some other classes together." He sounded hopeful.'**

The Cullen kids just grinned.

'**I smiled at him vaguely and went inside.**

**The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. My Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who I would have hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made me stand in front of the class and introduce myself. I stammered, blushed, and tripped over my own boots on the way to my seat.**

**After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask me questions about how I was liking Forks. I tried to be diplomatic, but mostly I just lied a lot. At least I never needed the map.'**

"That's one way of being optimistic!" Rosalie rolled her eyes.

_Stupid girl. Don't growl at me, Edward Cullen!_

'**One girl sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between our heights. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she prattled about teachers and classes. I didn't try to keep up.'**

"Jessica." Rosalie sniffed, "She's arrogant and vain."

Everyone else (not including Edward) burst into laughter, until Jasper sent calming waves so Edward, who was waiting impatiently, could carry on reading.

'**We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. I forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them. They seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to me. The boy from English, Eric, waved at me from across the room.**

**It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.'**

"Yes, we have arrived!"

"Shut up, Emmett!"

**They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room.**

**There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't gawking at me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention.**

**They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big — muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair.**

Emmett flexed his muscles and smirked at everyone else in the room.

**Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. **

Jasper dipped his head and tipped his imaginary hat to Emmett.

**The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.**

Edward, just took a deep breath realising what's up after lunch.

**The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. **

Rosalie just flicked her hair back as if she didn't care less about Bella's thoughts.

**The short girl was pixielike, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.**

Alice grinned and then frowned. "Pixie?"

Emmett laughed his booming laugh, "We have a new nickname for you, Shortie."

'**And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the albino. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes — purplish, bruiselike shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular.**

"She seriously notices our _noses_?"

**But all this is not why I couldn't look away.**

**I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful — maybe the perfect blond girl, or the bronze-haired boy.**

"Aw, she thinks Eddie is beautiful!" Emmett teased.

"More beautiful than me?!" Rosalie shrieked at glared at the book, the glare was so intense everyone expected it to catch alight.

'**They were all looking away — away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. **

"Very perceptive, especially for a human." Jasper praised

'**As I watched, the small girl'**

Alice let out a sound of despair. "Small girl? Really? I'm not that short am I?"

"No, you're not." Jasper replied calmly and pulled Alice onto his lap to sooth her qualms.

'**- rose with her tray — unopened soda, unbitten apple — and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door, faster than I would have thought possible. My eyes darted back to the others, who sat unchanging.**

**"Who are they?" I asked the girl from my Spanish class, whose name I'd forgotten.**

**As she looked up to see who I meant — though already knowing, probably, from my tone — suddenly he looked at her, the thinner one, the boyish one, the youngest, perhaps. He looked at my neighbor for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered to mine.'**

Carlisle frowned, "You really must hunt sooner, don't let the thirst get so far."

'**He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could, though in a flush of embarrassment I dropped my eyes at once. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest — it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer.**

"Did she call you in her mind?" Esme asked Edward.

He gave a brief nod before continuing.

'**My neighbor giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table like I did.**

**"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath.**

**I glanced sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces with long, pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect lips barely opening. The other three still looked away, and yet I felt he was speaking quietly to them.'**

"She is very perceptive; an ordinary girl would never have seen that subtle difference." Esme commented, her eyebrows creasing in worry. She really missed Bella, she thought of her as another daughter, of course.

"She is certainly, that's probably how she got to the truth rather quickly…" Carlisle answered. He looked deep in thought before gesturing for his son to continue.

'**Strange, unpopular names, I thought. The kinds of names grandparents had. But maybe that was in vogue here — small town names? I finally remembered that my neighbor was called Jessica, a perfectly common name.'**

Rosalie looked just smug.

'**There were two girls named Jessica in my History class back home.**

**"They are… very nice-looking." I struggled with the conspicuous understatement.**

**"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle. "They're all together though — Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together." Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix, it would cause gossip.**

**"Which ones are the Cullens?" I asked. "They don't look related…"**

**"Oh, they're not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins — the blondes — and they're foster children."**

**"They look a little old for foster children."**

**"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."**

**"That's really kind of nice — for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything."'**

Esme smiled softly, and placed her head on Carlisle's shoulder.

'**"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their adopted children, I would presume the reason was jealousy.' **

_So, true. _Alice thought, _she was definitely jealous of our clothes! _

'"**I think that Mrs Cullen can't have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness.' **

"Thank you dear," Esme said very softly. No one pointed out at it was, in fact, a book and can't hear her. Even after all these years, she still misses her baby that died and doubts that she will never stop wanting to have a child of her own.

'**Throughout all this conversation, my eyes flickered again and again to the table where the strange family sat. They continued to look at the walls and not eat.**

**"Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one of my summers here.**

**"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska."**

**I felt a surge of pity, and relief. Pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, clearly not accepted. Relief that I wasn't the only newcomer here, and certainly not the most interesting by any standard.'**

Edward smiled without humour, "Still doesn't see herself properly." He hastened to read before his family could comment or throw their thoughts, on how he should go back, at him.

**As I examined them, the youngest, one of the Cullens, looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in his expression. As I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me that his glance held some kind of unmet expectation.**

**"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?"'**

Emmett wolf whistled before going on to announce that that line was the beginning of it all.

**I asked. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at me, but not gawking like the other students had today — he had a slightly frustrated expression. I looked down again.**

**"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." She sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he'd turned her down.**

Emmett, Jasper and Alice burst out laughing. Rosalie managed a wry smile while Edward didn't even try. He couldn't be happy without her.

"Dude, I bet she was jealous!" Emmett snickered.

'**I bit my lip to hide my smile. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling, too.'**

"Aw, they are having a moment of bonding!" Emmett pretended to coo.

"Emmett, I had a vision that if you don't shut up or stop interrupting, Edward will tear you to shreds." Alice hissed in warning.

"**After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful — even the big, brawny one. It was unsettling to watch. The one named Edward didn't look at me again."**

Emmett opened his mouth to make a rude joke (again), but shut it quickly at Alice's pointed glare.

'**I sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than I would have if I'd been sitting alone. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. One of my new acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that her name was Angela, had Biology II with me the next hour. We walked to class together in silence. She was shy, too.**

**When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled but one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Edward Cullen by his unusual hair, sitting next to that single open seat.'**

"Dum, dum, duuummmm."

Rose just smacked her husband on the head to make him, hopefully, shut up.

'**As I walked down the aisle' **

Emmett and Jasper grinned and hummed the wedding march under their breaths so Edward wouldn't hear them. Alice just snuggled closer in effort to not burst out and laughing and Rose? She just rolled her eyes and then hit her husband on the head again.

"Dammit, Rose! Why do you keep hitting me?" Emmett demanded.

"Because you can't seem to get anything through to your thick head, and hitting you is the only way you notice."

'**- to introduce myself to the teacher and get my slip signed, I was watching him surreptitiously. Just as I passed, he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again, meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face — it was hostile, furious.'**

Esme frowned, "Edward!"

"I was trying not to kill her," Edward sighed, "and the whole class. Although, Newton I shouldn't have spared."

"Edward!"

' **I looked away quickly, shocked, going red again. I stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch myself on the edge of a table.**

**The girl sitting there giggled.**

**I'd noticed that his eyes were black — coal black.'**

Now, Carlisle frowned, "She's definitely going to remember your eye colour now, I'm afraid." Carlisle sighed.

'**Mr Banner signed my slip and handed me a book with no nonsense about introductions. I could tell we were going to get along. Of course, he had no choice but to send me to the one open seat in the middle of the room. I kept my eyes down as I went to sit by him, bewildered by the antagonistic stare he'd given me.**

**I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I sniffed my hair. It smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odor. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.'**

"That was not the smartest thing to do."

"And you know smart Emmett?" Jasper smiled with one eyebrow raised.

'**Unfortunately the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I took notes carefully anyway, always looking down.**

**I couldn't stop myself from peeking occasionally through the screen of my hair at the strange boy next to me. During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair, sitting as far from me as possible. I could see his hand on his left leg was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never relaxed. He had the long sleeves of his white shirt pushed up to his elbows,** **and his forearm was surprisingly hard and muscular beneath his light skin. He wasn't nearly as slight as he'd looked next to his burly brother.'**

_Edward, did you breathe at all? _Carlisle thought out to his son.

Edward gave a curt shake of his head, confusing everyone else, refused to elaborate and continued in the clipped tone he had been reading in.

'**The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally coming to a close, or because I was waiting for his tight fist to loosen? It never did; he continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn't breathing.'**

_Ah, so you weren't and she even noticed. Very unusual human behaviour . _

**What was wrong with him? Was this his normal behavior? I questioned my judgment on Jessica's bitterness at lunch today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought.**

**It couldn't have anything to do with me. He didn't know me from Eve.'**

"Well, he does now!"

"EMMETT!"

'**I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phrase if looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind.**

"Edward, even if it was hard for you, was the glaring really necessary?" Esme demanded, only wanting to think of her son as the gentleman.

"I was not even thinking straight. I hardly got out of there without killing someone."

'**At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump, and Edward Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose — he was much taller than I'd thought — his back to me, and he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat.**

**I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him. He was so mean. It wasn't fair. I began gathering up my things slowly, trying to block the anger that filled me, for fear my eyes would tear up. For some reason, my temper was hardwired to my tear ducts. I usually cried when I was angry, a humiliating tendency.'**

Emmett pretended to think about this before he smiled evilly. "Interesting, that would be fun to play with, actually!"

Edward growled, "You will _not _see her again, therefore; you can _never _make her cry."

**"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" a male voice asked.**

**I looked up to see a cute, baby-faced boy, his pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me in a friendly way. He obviously didn't think I smelled bad.**

_Newton._ Edward thought with disgust. _Him and his sick mind. _

**"Bella," I corrected him, with a smile.**

**"I'm Mike."**

**"Hi, Mike."**

**"Do you need any help finding your next class?"**

**"I'm headed to the gym, actually. I think I can find it." **

"She's subtly trying to tell him she's not interested!" snickered Alice.

**"That's my next class, too." He seemed thrilled, though it wasn't that big of a coincidence in a school this small.**

**We walked to class together; he was a chatterer — he supplied most of the conversation, which made it easy for me. He'd lived in California till he was ten, so he knew how I felt about the sun. It turned out he was in my English class also. He was the nicest person I'd met today.**

**But as we were entering the gym, he asked, "So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that."**

**I cringed. So I wasn't the only one who had noticed. And, apparently, that wasn't Edward Cullen's usual behavior. I decided to play dumb.**

**"Was that the boy I sat next to in Biology?" I asked artlessly.**

**"Yes," he said. "He looked like he was in pain or something."**

**"I don't know," I responded. "I never spoke to him." "He's a weird guy." **

"Understatement of the century." Rosalie huffed.

**Mike lingered by me instead of heading to the dressing room. "If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you."**

**I smiled at him before walking through the girls' locker room door. He was friendly and clearly admiring.**

**But it wasn't enough to ease my irritation.**

**The Gym teacher, Coach Clapp, found me a uniform but didn't make me dress down for today's class. At home, only two years of P.E. were required. Here, P.E. was mandatory all four years. Forks was literally my personal hell on Earth.**

_And I didn't help with making it more unsafe for her. _

**I watched four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained — and inflicted — playing volleyball, I felt faintly nauseated.'**

"Bella falling down is one of the most amusing things ever!"

SMACK!

"I get the hint!"

'**The final bell rang at last. I walked slowly to the office to return my paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself.**

**When I walked into the warm office, I almost turned around and walked back out.**

**Edward Cullen stood at the desk in front of me. I recognized again that tousled bronze hair. He didn't appear to notice the sound of my entrance. I stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free.**

**He was arguing with her in a low, attractive voice. I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade from sixth-hour Biology to another time — any other time.'**

"Harsh, bro."

"What would have you done, Emmett?"

"You already know," Emmett said seriously, then grinned, "Why didn't you guys take _Chemistry _together?" He giggled at his own little joke while everyone stared at him. Again.

'**I just couldn't believe that this was about me. It had to be something else, something that happened before I entered the Biology room. The look on his face must have been about another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that this stranger could take such a sudden, intense dislike to me.**

**The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling my hair around my face. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. But Edward Cullen's back stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at me — his face was absurdly handsome — with piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms.'**

"STOP! We need to record this moment! Bella Swan is having a _normal _reaction!" Alice laughed then sighed, Edward didn't even laugh, he just looked blank…

'**The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind. He turned back to the receptionist.**

**"Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at me, and disappeared out the door.**

**I went meekly to the desk, my face white for once instead of red, and handed her the signed slip.**

**"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked maternally.**

**"Fine," I lied, my voice weak. She didn't look convinced.'**

Jasper snorted, "No one is when you lie, Bella."

"You're talking to a book," Emmett commented gleefully, "that can't hear you!"

"And, yet, you've done the same thing!"

"I have not!"

"You have indeed!

"I have not!"

"You did!"

"I did-"

Emmett was cut off when Rosalie hit him again.

'**When I got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home I had in this damp green hole. I sat inside for a while, just staring out the windshield blankly. But soon I was cold enough to need the heater, so I turned the key and the engine roared to life.**

**I headed back to Charlie's house, fighting tears the whole way there.' **

Edward's voice was very soft reading the last line, hating that he caused her any pain.

"That's the end of the chapter. Who would like to read next?" He asked just as soft.

Emmett opened his mouth to comment, but Alice, saw what he was going to say and thought that the beautiful house should remain standing, replied, "Jasper will."

Jasper gave his wife a bewildered look but took the book, nonetheless. You don't fight Alice, you just don't. He turned the page that Edward had finished and began,  
"**Chapter two -Open Book**,"

* * *

_**And now you have the first actual chapter. 9,703 words long! Review? I would love to thank EVERYONE who reviewed (all eight of you) and EVERYONE who has put it as a favourite or is following. I LOVE YOU ALL ._.**_

_**P.S. I'm putting a poll up for the bet, to seen when little Eddie is going to return! **_


	4. Emmett's day at the waterfall

**_Disclaimer: If I owned 'Twilight' do you really think I would be on FanFiction? _**

**_P.S. I'm trying to see if doing it in someone's POV works! :D _**

**_Also there is a *scene* in here. Just implied. Not done through. Okay continue: _**

* * *

**_Emmett POV_**

"**Open Book**," Jasper began.  
"Wait!" I interrupted. "Can you please not hit me this chapter? I swear, this is only the second and my head is about to fall off!"

"We won't hit you," Rose replied and placed a hand on his arm, "if you stop interrupting."

I chose a few of my more colourful words but only under my breath so Esme couldn't hear me.

**'The next day was better… and worse.'**

"Bet you Eddie is the reason!" I interrupted.

"For making her day better or worse?" Carlisle replied, with a small frown. "_If Edward has already left and her day is bad without him, their bond is already swiftly growing."_

"Worse, of course!" We all ignored his last sentence, we know he's speculating. Damn, nobody took me up on my offer?

**'It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque. It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. Mike came to sit by me in English, and walked me to my next class, with Chess Club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was nattering. People didn't look at me quite as much as they had yesterday. I sat with a big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica, and several other people whose names and faces I now remembered. I began to feel like I was treading water, instead of drowning in it.**

**It was worse because I was tired; I still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. It was worse because Mr Varner called on me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer.'**

"I hate it when that happens!"

** It was miserable because I had to play volleyball, and the one time I didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, I hit my teammate in the head with it. And it was worse because Edward Cullen wasn't in school at all.' **

"I _told_ you!" I gloated.

**'All morning I was dreading lunch, fearing his bizarre glares. Part of me wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was. While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I even imagined what I would say. But I knew myself too well to think I would really have the guts to do it. I made the Cowardly Lion look like the terminator.'**

Alice snorted, "She definitely has the guts. She makes the terminator look like the Cowardly Lion."

**'But when I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica — trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely — I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them.**

**Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Jessica seemed elated by the attention, and her friends quickly joined us. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting nervously for the moment he would arrive. I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove my suspicions false.**

**He didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more tense.'**

"Was she tense because she couldn't see Eddie or she didn't want Eddie to glare at her?"

"We don't know, Emmett."

**I walked to Biology with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed. Mike, who was taking on the qualities of a golden retriever, walked faithfully by my side to class.'**

Now, that, I had to laugh at the mental picture. I even closed my eyes for added affect. _Ah, perfect._ I could also hear a few other snorts, I'm not the only one who was delighted at the mental picture.

**'I held my breath at the door, but Edward Cullen wasn't there, either. I exhaled and went to my seat. Mike followed, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach. He lingered by my desk till the bell rang. Then he smiled at me wistfully and went to sit by a girl with braces and a bad perm. It looked like I was going to have to do something about Mike, and it wouldn't be easy. In a town like this, where everyone lived on top of everyone else, diplomacy was essential. I had never been enormously tactful; I had no practice dealing with overly friendly boys.**

**I was relieved that I had the desk to myself, that Edward was absent. I told myself that repeatedly. But I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't there. It was ridiculous, and egotistical, to think that I could affect anyone that strongly. It was impossible. And yet I couldn't stop worrying that it was true.'**

"Very perceptive, good instincts, maybe not survival instincts, though." Jasper interrupted himself, but hurriedly continued before anyone (I suspect me) could comment further. I, in turn, smirked at him, feeling proud they knew me so well.

**'When the school day was finally done, and the blush was fading out of my cheeks from the volleyball incident, I changed quickly back into my jeans and navy blue sweater. I hurried from the girls' locker room, pleased to find that I had successfully evaded my retriever friend for the moment. I walked swiftly out to the parking lot. It was crowded now with fleeing students. I got in my truck and dug through my bag to make sure I had what I needed.**

**Last night I'd discovered that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon. So I requested that I be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of my stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. I also found out that he had no food in the house. So I had my shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labelled FOOD MONEY, and I was on my way to the Thriftway.**

**I gunned my deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned in my direction, and backed carefully into a place in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As I waited, trying to pretend that the earsplitting rumble was coming from someone else's car, I saw the two Cullens and the Hale twins getting into their car. It was the shiny new Volvo. Of course. I hadn't noticed their clothes before-' **

Alice growled, "I spend so much time investing in our clothes and no one _ever_ notices! Does no one have taste, anymore?"

"Alice, they are humans, they're too busy staring at our faces too care." Rosalie pointed out, as Alice just glared into nowhere.

**'I'd been too mesmerized by their faces. Now that I looked, it was obvious that they were all dressed exceptionally well; simply, but in clothes that subtly hinted at designer origins. With their remarkable good looks, the style with which they carried themselves, they could have worn dishrags and pulled it off.'**

"Don't you dare even THINK about it!" Alice warned everyone in the room, "I'll personally tear you to shreds if you try."

_Thank you, Bella. That's a brilliant idea. _I chortled to myself.

**'It seemed excessive for them to have both looks and money. But as far as I could tell, life worked that way most of the time. It didn't look as if it bought them any acceptance here.**

**No, I didn't fully believe that. The isolation must be their desire; I couldn't imagine any door that wouldn't be opened by that degree of beauty.'**

"She sounds like Rose." I blurted out.

"She. Does. Not." Rosalie snarled at me. Wisely, I kept my mouth shut.

**'They looked at my noisy truck as I passed them, just like everyone else. I kept my eyes straight forward and was relieved when I finally was free of the school grounds.**

**The Thriftway was not far from the school, just a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be inside the supermarket; it felt normal. I did the shopping at home, and I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly. The store was big enough inside that I couldn't hear the tapping of the rain on the roof to remind me where I was.**

**When I got home, I unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them in wherever I could find an open space. I hoped Charlie wouldn't mind. I wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge.**

**When I was finished with that, I took my book bag upstairs. Before starting my homework, I changed into a pair of dry sweats, pulled my damp hair up into a pony-tail, and checked my e-mail for the first time. I had three messages.**

**"Bella," my mom wrote…**

**Write me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining?'**

"Raining in Forks?" I snorted sarcastically. "Why would you think that?

**'I miss you already.**

**I'm almost finished packing for Florida, but I can't find my pink blouse. Do you know where I put it? Phil says hi. Mom.**

**I sighed and went to the next. It was sent eight hours after the first.**

**"Bella," she wrote…**

**Why haven't you e-mailed me yet? What are you waiting for?'**

"She may not be the most patient person, ever."

** 'Mom.**

**The last was from this morning. Isabella,**

**If I haven't heard from you by 5:30 p.m. today I'm calling Charlie.**

**I checked the clock. I still had an hour, but my mom was well known for jumping the gun.**

**Mom,**

**Calm down. I'm writing right now. Don't do anything rash. (****_A/N:Ironic because Bella is 'rash' in New Moon_****)**

**Bella.**

**I sent that, and began again.**

**Mom,**

**Everything is great. Of course it's raining. I was waiting for something to write about. School isn't bad, just a little repetitive. I met some nice kids who sit by me at lunch.**

**Your blouse is at the dry cleaners - you were supposed to pick it up Friday.**

**Charlie bought me a truck, can you believe it? I love it. It's old, but really sturdy, which is good, you know, for me.'**

"I guess sturdy is one word to describe _the thing_." Rosalie hissed.

**'I miss you, too. I'll write again soon, but I'm not going to check my e-mail every five minutes.**

**Relax, breathe. I love you.**

**Bella.**

**I had decided to read Wuthering Heights-' **

One corner of Edwards mouth turned up slightly, "I think she has that book memorised. She has read it more than enough times."

**'the novel we were currently studying in English — yet again for the fun of it, and that's what I was doing when Charlie came home. I'd lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.**

**"Bella?" my father called out when he heard me on the stairs.**

**Who else? I thought to myself.'**

A few sly looks were sent Edwards way and I'm proud to say, I sent him the biggest sexiest damn smirk.

**'"Hey, Dad, welcome home."**

**"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as I bustled about the kitchen. As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose.'**

"I hope Bella doesn't know how to use a gun." Esme said, worried.

**'"What's for dinner?" he asked warily. My mother was an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible. I was surprised, and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back.'**

"Why does that make her sad?" Filled with genuine curiosity and confusion, I blurted that one out.

Rosalie sighed, "Because, idiot, it proves that her father is not completely over her mother, even after all these years."

"Oh."

**'"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved.**

**He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. We were both more comfortable that way. I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and set the table.**

**I called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.**

**"Smells good, Bell."**

**"Thanks."**

**We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. Neither of us was bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together.**

**"So, how did you like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.**

**"Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice." With one outstanding exception.'**

"A very big exception. So big, it's larger than Eddie's ego!"

SMACK! _Bloody hell! Can't they stop hitting me?!_

**'"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid — nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here."**

**"Do you know the Cullen family?" I asked hesitantly.**

**"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."**

**"They… the kids… are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school."'**

Rosalie sniffed, "It's by our own making, didn't she say so herself earlier?"

I heard Carlisle sigh, almost inaudibly.

** 'Charlie surprised me by looking angry.**

**"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him — lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature — I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should — camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."'**

We all gaped at the book, no one had ever defended us before, and it came as quite a shock to them.

"I wish we could thank him," Alice said quietly. Jasper pulled Alice onto his lap, her head resting on his chest, he held her before he continued.

**'It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.**

**I backpedaled. "They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," I added, trying to be more complimentary.**

**"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."'**

Carlisle looked very embarrassed while Esme just laughed. "Do I need to visit the hospital more often?"

Carlisle just laughed with her. _She's not kidding. _

**'We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to the TV, and after I finished washing the dishes by hand — no dishwasher — I went upstairs unwillingly to work on my math homework. I could feel a tradition in the making. That night it was finally quiet. I fell asleep quickly, exhausted.**

**The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way.**

**Edward Cullen didn't come back to school.' **

"_Edward Cullen _should not have come back to school – at all!" Rosalie hissed.

Edward clenched his jaw and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Don't attack her. Don't attack her. _He chanted in his head. On the other side of the room, Jasper looked like he was having a similar problem. All the fury in the room probably made him really want to bite someone or punch concrete to rubble. Everyone else just stared at Rosalie, eyes agape with disbelief. Myself, included.

"Rose, maybe-"

She cut me off with a furious snarl, "Just. Shut. Up. Emmett. I'm going out." She gracefully jumped up and raced out the house .I looked at my family quickly. Carlisle gave me a quick nod before I ran after her. I rarely knew what irritates her (besides myself) but I felt even more confused.

Rose ran faster than me, but I wouldn't let her get away. I followed her scent until we stopped by a waterfall. Huh, didn't know that was here. Do you think Rose would kill me if I picked her up and jumped from the top with her?

… Yeah, she would kill me.

I saw her tensing; she was going to run again. Before she could start, I lunged and snaked an arm around her knees and behind her shoulder blades. I held her against my chest as her eyes widened for a millisecond before they hardened.

She tried to get out, and a flash of pain went through me. I tried for it not to show, but she obviously saw it on my face because she stopped struggling.

"Emmett, I'm not going back, so put me down!" Rose hissed at me. Meh, I was used to it. So I smirked back.  
"You want me to put you down, baby?" She obviously saw right away what I was about to do.

"Don't you-"

With a hell of a lot of satisfaction I jumped down the waterfall.

We hit the water and, man, was that fun! I released Rose, and she quickly swam out of the water. It wasn't cold, but her clothes – _oh shit. Alice is going to tear me limb from limb. _I gulped, seriously scared of the pixie, she probably saw what happened. I glanced Rose smirking at me – damn, was she sexy as hell when she did that- she knew what the pixie would do.

"Now, can you explain exactly _why _you did that?" I didn't exactly answer, I lunged at her again. We slammed into a tree, and I had her pinned between the tree and me.

"So I could do _this._" I kissed her with all the passion I had. Every feeling, everything. Rose was my all. And she knew it. Her fragrance was all around me, she was all I could see. I dimly heard the ripping of material.

"Alice is definitely going to kill you," I whispered to her, kissing her jaw hungrily.

"I don't care." She whispered in my ear. Well damn.

~:0:~

Hey, we didn't shred all the clothes. My jeans were okay, but Rosalie's…? She ended up in my shirt. Her hair was framing her face, emphasising how she looked at me through her lashes. She had twigs in her hair, and the shirt and a few holes.

She never looked more like an angel. I sauntered over to her and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"We need more clothes, so we kinda have to go back." I grinned, _brilliant plan! _ She rolled her gorgeous eyes and sprinted back. I grinned wider and followed. Upon arriving, I found a new outfit at the door. Alice must have seen. I quickly pulled on the clothes and entered.

Alice just gave me a dirty look, before speaking. "Okay, can we continue _now_?"

**'Every day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens entered the cafeteria without him. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. I was invited, and I had agreed to go, more out of politeness than desire. Beaches should be hot and dry.**

**By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering my Biology class, no longer worried that Edward would be there. For all I knew, he had dropped out of school. I tried not to think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence, ridiculous as it seemed.'**

"Aw, Bella is worried for little Eddie." I sent a smirk his way, but then shivered when he sent a glare in return.

**'My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. I cleaned the house, got ahead on my homework, and wrote my mom more bogusly cheerful e-mail. I did drive to the library Saturday, but it was so poorly stocked that I didn't bother to get a card; I would have to make a date to visit Olympia or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got… and shuddered at the thought.' **

"Exactly what I thought." Edward muttered under his breath. Rosalie just raised one eyebrow at him, because that's exactly what she thought…

**'The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so I was able to sleep well.**

**People greeted me in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but I waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by my side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy.**

**All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here.**

**When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.**

**"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."**

**I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.**

**"Ew." Snow. There went my good day.'**

"She doesn't like snow?" Esme asked, looking quite bewildered

"She doesn't like the cold or wet very much." Edward answered shrugging his shoulders.

I saw this as an opportunity, "Except for _you_. Eh, Eddie?" I waggled my eyebrows for desired effect.

**'He looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"**

**"No. That means it's too cold for rain." Obviously. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes — you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips."**

**"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.**

**"Sure I have." I paused. "On TV."'**

We just laughed. _This girl is brilliant!_

**Mike laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us — in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike apparently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.**

**"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside."**

**He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure.**

**Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the New Year. I kept my mouth shut. Sure, it was drier than rain — until it melted in your socks.'**

Alice just shuddered. Weird.

**'I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Jessica thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from lobbing a snowball at me herself.'**

"Angry kitten Bella comes out to play!"

**'Mike caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were five people at the table.'**

"Dum, dum duuuuum."

**Jessica pulled on my arm.**

**"Hello? Bella? What do you want?"**

**I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I hadn't done anything wrong.**

**"What's with Bella?" Mike asked Jessica.**

**"Nothing," I answered. "I'll just get a soda today." I caught up to the end of the line.**

**"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked.**

**"Actually, I feel a little sick," I said, my eyes still on the floor.**

**I waited for them to gettheir food, and then followed them to a table, my eyes on my feet.**

**I sipped my soda slowly, my stomach churning. Twice Mike asked, with unnecessary concern, how I was feeling.**

**I told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I ****_should _****play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour.'**

"Edward!" Esme chastised, "You're rude behaviour is going to make her miss school!"

Eddie boy just looked sheepish.

**'Ridiculous. I shouldn't have to run away.**

**I decided to permit myself one glance at the Cullen family's table. If he was glaring at me, I would skip Biology, like the coward I was.'**

Jasper, across the room from me, snorted. "Bella a coward? Oh please."

**'I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little.**

**They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow.**

**Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else — only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us.'**

Pixie beamed, "I knew it! It looked brilliantly!" But then she frowned at me, "But you didn't have to crack the brick Emmett." _Damn you Alice! _

"Emmett, why did you do that?" Carlisle asked me sternly.

"I-um- explain later?" I spluttered. I could hear Jasper laughing at me.

**'But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was. I examined Edward the most carefully. His skin was less pale, I decided — flushed from the snow fight maybe — the circles under his eyes much less noticeable. But there was something more. I pondered, staring, trying to isolate the change.'**

"Too perceptive." Carlisle murmured to himself, again.

**'"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following my stare.**

**At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet mine.' **

"And a connection was made!" I sang loudly.

**'I dropped my head, letting my hair fall to conceal my face. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way.' **

"Still can't read her mind." Eddie mused

**'"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica giggled in my ear.**

**"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I couldn't help asking.**

**"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Should he be?"**

**"I don't think he likes me," I confided. I still felt queasy. I put my head down on my arm.**

**"The Cullens don't like anybody… well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But he's still staring at you."'**

Rose looked very smug next to me, "Someone is jealous that we –_Edward _– doesn't notice her."

**'"Stop looking at him," I hissed.**

**She snickered, but she looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did, contemplating violence if she resisted.'**

"Angry kitten once more."

**'Mike interrupted us then — he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested.'**

"That's very _suggestive." _

"That was a bad pun, a very very bad pun." Rose out her palm over her face. Feeling, undeterred, I put an arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Yet you love me anyway." In return, she rolled her eyes. She looked beautiful even when she did that.

**' I kept silent. I would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared.**

**For the rest of the lunch hour I very carefully kept my eyes at my own table. I decided to honor the bargain I'd made with myself. Since he didn't look angry, I would go to Biology. My stomach did frightened little flips at the thought of sitting next to him again.'**

"She's anxious to see Eddie!"

**'I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike as usual — he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers — but when we went to the door, everyone besides me groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. I would be free to go straight home after Gym.**

**Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four.**

**Once inside the classroom, I saw with relief that my table was still empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of my notebook.**

**I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing.'**

"She missed a loop." Edward said quietly.

**'"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.** **I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, dishevelled — even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful.'**

I snorted before anyone could slap me. "She really likes describing Edward."

"Yeah, this book is going to be interesting later on." Jasper groaned before continuing

**'"My name is Edward Cullen," he continued. "I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."'**

"Mistake." Jasper sighed.

How was that a mistake? I was about to ask but Edward beat me to it, "Everyone knew her as Isabella, not Bella. I heard 'Bella' in everyone else's thoughts."

Oh.

**'My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.**

**"H-how do you know my name?" I stammered.**

**He laughed a soft, enchanting laugh.'**

_Enchanting? Wow, she's describing him as some sort of Prince Charming who's secretly a wizard. _

Eddie raised an eyebrow at me.

**'"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive."**

**I grimaced. I knew it was something like that.**

**"No," I persisted stupidly. "I meant, why did you call me Bella?"**

**He seemed confused. "Do you prefer Isabella?"**

**"No, I like Bella," I said. "But I think Charlie — I mean my dad — must call me Isabella behind my back — that's what everyone here seems to know me as," I tried to explain, feeling like an utter moron.**

**"Oh." He let it drop. I looked away awkwardly.'**

"You really were an idiot, weren't you?" Rose glared at Edward. "That was a big mistake."

_Brilliant plan. _ "Jazz, how many times do you think Eddie is going to slip up in this one lesson?"

"About-" He was going to carry on, then the Pixie glared at him, "I don't think I'm going to take that bet."

_Damn._

**'Thankfully, Mr Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.**

**"Get started," he commanded.**

**"Ladies first, partner?" Edward asked. I looked up to see him smiling a crooked smile so beautiful that I could only stare at him like an idiot.'**

"Really Bella?"

**'"Or I could start, if you wish." The smile faded; he was obviously wondering if I was mentally competent.**

**"No," I said, flushing. "I'll go ahead."**

**I was showing off, just a little. I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly.**

**My assessment was confident. "Prophase."'**

"Show-off," I grinned.

**'"Do you mind if I look?" he asked as I began to remove the slide. His hand caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were ice-cold, like he'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us.'**

"I thought you were in _Biology_, not _Chemistry_." I asked smugly.

Everyone else in the family groaned. But, I saw Alice send a pleading look to Edward out of the corner of my eye. I won't ask.

**'"I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for an even shorter time than I had.**

**"Prophase," he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily.**

**"Anaphase," he murmured, writing it down as he spoke.**

**I kept my voice indifferent. "May I?"'**

_She wants to show off for Eddie! _

"Don't. Call. Me. Eddie!" He snarled. _Jeez, I won't. _

**'He smirked and pushed the microscope to me.**

**I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Dang it, he was right.'**

"As if I could have been wrong."

**"Slide three?" I held out my hand without looking at him.**

**He handed it to me; it seemed like he was being careful not to touch my skin again.**

**I took the most fleeting look I could manage.**

**"Interphase." I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He took a swift peek, and then wrote it down. I would have written it while he looked, but his clear, elegant script intimidated me. I didn't want to spoil the page with my clumsy scrawl.'**

"Even her writing is clumsy." Alice commented. Edward glared at her and his jaw tightened. Alice must be thinking something that pisses him off.

**'We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table.**

** Which left me with nothing to do but try to not look at him… unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly I identified that subtle difference in his face.'**

"The eyes." Jazz responded immediately.

**'"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out unthinkingly.**

**He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. "No."'**

"You moron!" Rose hissed.

**'"Oh," I mumbled. "I thought there was something different about your eyes."**

**He shrugged, and looked away.'**

"Way to handle that!" I said, sarcasm colouring my tone.

**'In fact, I was sure there was something different. I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he'd glared at me — the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone. I didn't understand how that could be, unless he was lying for some reason about the contacts. Or maybe Forks was making me crazy in the literal sense of the word.'**

"You are going to make her think she's crazy!" Esme reprimanded him.

**'I looked down. His hands were clenched into hard fists again.**

**Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.**

**"So, Edward, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" Mr. Banner asked.**

**"Bella," Edward corrected automatically. "Actually, she identified three of the five."**

**Mr. Banner looked at me now; his expression was skeptical.**

**"Have you done this lab before?" he asked. I smiled sheepishly. "Not with onion root."**

**"Whitefish blastula?"**

**"Yeah."**

**Mr. Banner nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"'**

"Beautiful and smart." Edward said under his breath, probably hoping we won't hear. Alice looked like she was screaming at him in her mind. She probably was.

**'"Yes."**

**"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.**

**"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked.'**

Alice stopped screaming at him in her head (at least that's what I think she's doing) to stare at him in utter disbelief.

"You're talking to her about the _weather_?"

He simply shrugged, "I don't know how to small talk."

**'I had the feeling that he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. Paranoia swept over me again. It was like he had heard my conversation with Jessica at lunch and was trying to prove me wrong.'**

"Well, he is a vampire with exceptional hearing."

**'"Not really," I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else. I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate.**

**"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.**

**"Or the wet."**

**"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.**

**"You have no idea," I muttered darkly.**

**He looked fascinated by what I said, for some reason I couldn't imagine. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded.'**

"I really don't want to know about your 'dazzling face'." I pulled a sour face to match my mood.

Jasper grinned at me, "I agree!"

"Both of you shut up."

**'"Why did you come here, then?"**

**No one had asked me that — not straight out like he did, demanding.'**

"Tact and manners, Edward!"

**'"It's… complicated."**

**"I think I can keep up," he pressed.'**

Eddie just grumbled something under his breath but we didn't catch exactly what.

**'I paused for a long moment, and then made the mistake of meeting his gaze. His dark gold eyes confused me, and I answered without thinking.'**

'_Really_? She's known you for like half an hour and she is already falling for you!"

**'"My mother got remarried," I said.**

**"That doesn't sound so complex," he disagreed, but he was suddenly sympathetic. "When did that happen?"**

**"Last September." My voice sounded sad, even to me.**

**"And you don't like him," Edward surmised, his tone still kind.'**

"You're guessing as if she's normal, Edward!" Alice rolled her eyes at him.

"I didn't know

**"No, Phil is fine. Too young, maybe, but nice enough."**

**"Why didn't you stay with them?"**

**I couldn't fathom his interest, but he continued to stare at me with penetrating eyes, as if my dull life's story was somehow vitally important.'**

"It is very important to me."

**"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living." I half-smiled.**

**"Have I heard of him?" he asked, smiling in response.**

**"Probably not. He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot."**

**"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him." He said it as an assumption again, not a question.'**

"And, of course, you're wrong."

"I'm not generally wrong."

**My chin raised a fraction. "No, she did not send me here. I sent myself."**

**His eyebrows knit together. "I don't understand," he admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact.'**

"Bella got him to say the words?!" I gasped astounded. Eddie doesn't understand something! "My respect for her has risen."

Rose just smacked me on the head again.

**'I sighed. Why was I explaining this to him? He continued to stare at me with obvious curiosity.**

**"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy… so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." My voice was glum by the time I finished.**

**"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.**

**"And?" I challenged.**

**"That doesn't seem fair." He shrugged, but his eyes were still intense.**

**I laughed without humor. "Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair."**

**"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," he agreed dryly.'**

"We do understand that statement more than most." Rose acknowledged. Her eyes had the pain in them, so I pulled her close, never wanting to let her go.

**"So that's all," I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way.**

**His gaze became appraising. "You put on a good show," he said slowly. "But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see."**

**I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five-year-old, and looked away.'**

"She should have! It would have been hilarious!"

**'"Am I wrong?"**

**I tried to ignore him.**

**"I didn't think so," he murmured smugly.'**

"Smug, overprotective, thinks-he's-always-right fool." Alice hissed. Edward in turn ignored her, his eyes fixed upon the books. They were having their secret conversations again.

**'"Why does it matter to you?" I asked, irritated. I kept my eyes away, watching the teacher make his rounds.'**

"I hated it when she did that. I couldn't see her eyes; therefore, I really didn't have any means to guess her thoughts." Eddie said quietly. His jaw unclenched and he glanced up at Alice swiftly before looking at all of us.

"I'm sure that's the _only_ reason why you wanted to look into her eyes." Jasper teased. He quickly started reading before anyone else (I think me) could delve further.

**"That's a very good question," he muttered, so quietly that I wondered if he was talking to himself.**

**However, after a few seconds of silence, I decided that was the only answer I was going to get.**

**I sighed, scowling at the blackboard.**

**"Am I annoying you?" he asked. He sounded amused.'**

Now, I snorted again. "As if _you_ could annoy _her_!"

**'I glanced at him without thinking… and told the truth again. "Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself.**

**My face is so easy to read — my mother always calls me her open book." I frowned.**

**"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." Despite everything that I'd said and he'd guessed, he sounded like he meant it.' **

"But why only her?" Carlisle was back to musing.

**"You must be a good reader then," I replied.**

**"Usually." He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultra white teeth.' **

"A very good _mind _reader."

"Well done pointing out the obvious, Emmett." Jasper rolled his eyes at me.

**'Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and I turned with relief to listen. I was in disbelief that I'd just explained my dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy who may or may not despise me.'**

"I love how she describes him as beautiful." I grinned. Best teasing material!

**'He'd seemed engrossed in our conversation, but now I could see, from the corner of my eye, that he was leaning away from me again, his hands gripping the edge of the table with unmistakable tension.' **

"Even though she was perceptive enough to pick up on that, I must compliment your self-control, Edward." Carlisle congratulated him. He responded with a tilt of his head.

**'I tried to appear attentive as Mr Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what I had seen without difficulty through the microscope. But my thoughts were unmanageable.**

**When the bell finally rang, Edward rushed as swiftly and as gracefully from the room as he had last Monday. And, like last Monday, I stared after him in amazement.**

**Mike skipped quickly to my side and picked up my books for me. I imagined him with a wagging tail.'**

We all burst into laughter. We all could imagine Mike with the tail. _Man, she's funny!_

**'"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."**

**"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, stung by his assumption. I regretted the snub instantly. "I've done the lab before, though," I added before he could get his feelings hurt.'**

"She really has no clue how to deal with boys." Rose said lightly. Her eyes were guarded, but I knew that look. She was re-thinking about Bella.

**'"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it.**

**I tried to sound indifferent. "I wonder what was with him last Monday."'**

"Tried and failed."

**'I couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym, and P.E. didn't do much to hold my attention, either. Mike was on my team today. He chivalrously covered my position as well as his own, so my wool-gathering was only interrupted when it was my turn to serve; my team ducked warily out of the way every time I was up.'**

"Smart team."

**'The rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but I was happier when I was in the dry cab. I got the heater running, for once not caring about the mind-numbing roar of the engine. I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, and fluffed my damp hair out so the heater could dry it on the way home.**

**I looked around me to make sure it was clear. That's when I noticed the still, white figure. Edward Cullen was leaning against the front door of the Volvo, three cars down from me, and staring intently in my direction.'**

"Like a stalker!"

"I'm not a stalker!"

"You watched her sleep by climbing through her bedroom window."

"…"

** 'I swiftly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in my haste. Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of car that my truck would make scrap metal of. I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. I stared straight ahead as I passed the Volvo, but from a peripheral peek, I would swear I saw him laughing.'**

We all laughed, even Edward! Edward sighed and we all could see his will power crumbling.

Alice lit up like a Christmas Tree and started squealing. "This is going to be the Christmas ever!" She hugged Edward and then flew up the stairs. "I've got the tickets here. Everyone get in the car."

What? I was seriously confused. Rose just gave me a soft smile and tugged me towards the cars. Alice reappeared muttering about gifts. She then disappeared and dragged Edward to the cars.

"We're catching a flight to Seattle. We're going back to Forks!"

Oh.

My.

God.

* * *

_**And they're going home for Christmas. It's Christmas tomorrow! **_

_**Reviews are a Christmas gift xx Love you all. **_


	5. Christmas kisses are sweet

_**So this is not a reading: it's Christmas in Forks! **_

_**It's 12:09 here, so MERRY CHRISTMAS! **_

_**Disclaimer: Yeah, don't own anything.**_

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_**Edward POV**_

So, this is it. I'm nearly home, nearly back to Bella. I honestly have no clue what to do or what to say when I get there – but I will somehow, explain how much I love her still.

Everyone else has gone back to the house, to 'set up'. Alice is still squealing from joy. She's keeping part of her vision blocked from me, saying that I need to do it by myself, with no help.

What can I say? "Merry Christmas, Bella, I know I left you but I didn't really. Oh, Alice has got presents for you back at my house, come with me?" That will go down well.

I sighed as I realised I was here. At her house. Without even realising it, I scaled the tree to see inside her window, to see if she was asleep. And, she was asleep, but she was tossing and turning. She was having a nightmare.

I quickly opened the window and was inside her room without making a single sound, except the window. She was still beautiful, she still smelt the same. But I could see the difference. She had bags underneath her eyes and she was much thinner.

_What had I done to her? _

My horrified musings were cut short as her nightmare got progressively worse. Slowly, I went over to her. She had tossed the blanket off of her in amidst her tossing; I picked it up and laid it around her. And then, ever so slowly, I lay next to her and pulled her into my arms.

Bella immediately stopped tossing and sighed my name. _Did she know I was here?_ She curled into me and mumbled my name again. It was like the first night I came here, all the emotions that coursed through me.

I felt guilt, loss and love. My angel was in my arms but did she want to stay there? Did she want me? Would she forgive me?

~:0:~

The sun rose softly and Bella started to wake with it. I retracted my arms and slowly got off the bed. I knelt near her head and swept away the hair from her eyes. I couldn't wait to see her eyes, but I feared her reaction.

I heard her sigh and she opened her eyes.

"E-E-Edward?" She stuttered, he eyes grew wide and her heart beated faster in her chest.

"Bella." I couldn't say much more, the need to explain, to tell her I love her, choked in my throat.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her beautiful eyes fearful. I could hear the unspoken question, _What are you doing here with me? _I placed my hand on her cheek and drew the courage I needed.

"I need to apologise and explain." I took a deep breath, "I love you Bella, I never stopped loving you. And I want you to take me back."

Her eyes were still dubious, "But you said you didn't want me-"

I swiftly placed my finger over her lips to stop her from finishing that awful sentence.

"Bella, you need to understand I-I _lied _to you. I made a choice – a terrible choice – to keep you out of my world. So I said what I needed. But I saw you actually believed me! As if I could exist without you, Bella!" I said softly.

What surprised was she threw her arms around me and sobbed. I held her as she sobbed, hating that I was the cause of her tears.

"This isn't a dream?" She asked her words muffled as she talked into my chest. I kissed her hair, before responding, "I'll prove to you that you're awake."

I lifted her head softly before gently kissing her lips. It started out as gentle but all the months of separation boiled over. The kiss became more passionate; I pulled her closer, lining her body to mine. Her mouth tasted like strawberries. Bella's hand flew up to my hair and tugged at the roots. I could feel the boundaries that I had set starting to crumble, slowly. It was intense and the sparks flew where she touched me.

But a few days later, I pulled back. We were both gasping for air.

"Merry Christmas Bella." I whispered.

~:0:~

I sprinted home; elated that Bella was coming over when Charlie left to go fishing. I arrived to find the house completely decorated with Christmas. There was even a tree in the living room. Alice will be Alice.

"Edward, you need to put this on when Bella arrives!" Alice squealed at me and handed me a large bow. No, not a bow _tie, _but a bow which you put on your presents. "She'll be hear in exactly two hours and three minutes."

Alice flitted around the house muttering about, "Not enough _time_." I just shook my head at her and went into my room. It was exactly the same, we didn't take anything. I pressed play and soft Debussy filled the room.

_Edward, it's good to see you smile again._

_Thank you Edward, for giving me back my daughter and son. _

Carlisle and Esme. Ever looking out for me. "Thank you for everything." I whispered, knowing they can hear me.

The next two hours dragged on, I felt an itching to go to her, I needed her, more than air or even blood. Finally, I heard the thunderous roar of her engine and ran down to the front door where the rest of the family quickly joined me.

"Edward, put the bow on!" Alice hissed at me.

"No!"

"Do it or the car gets it! And don't take it off before I say so!" Alice snarled. Reluctantly, I put the bow on my jacket like I saw in my vision.

_Then I saw her again. _

She was biting her lip when she cut the engine; she must still think she's dreaming. Using vampire speed, I ran over to her and opened her door for her. I held my hand out so I could help her. Bella took it and gave a small smile lit up her face.

"Welcome home," I whispered. I gave her a swift peck on the cheek, but her heart thumped loudly in her chest still. She raised an eyebrow at the bow, "Alice." I murmured into her ear. Bella just laughed softly. With a smug smile, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her towards our family.

Esme just hugged her and said she missed her. Carlisle did the same.

Alice squealed (again) and threw herself at Bella. "Bella, I missed you so much!"

Emmett grinned at her, "Looks its blushing Bella! Still red-faced I see."

"Thanks, Emmett." She blushed on cue, of course.

Jasper gave her a hesitant smile and opened his mouth to apologise before I cut him off.

"Jazz, it's not your fault. At all. You don't need to blame yourself." I said softly so Bella couldn't hear. Jasper smiled weakly.

Rosalie. She didn't glare at Bella, she had her poker-face on again.

Alice jumped up and grabbed Bella's hand and dragged her inside towards the living room. Bella gasped at the sight.

"Now, I now you hate presents but these are sorry gifts from everyone for leaving so appreciate them, okay?" Alice said sternly looking Bella in the eyes. She made us sit, Bella made to sit next to me but I pulled onto my lap. I needed her in my arms.

"Now, the first gift is from Emmett and Rose." Alice handed her a box wrapped in silver. Bella blushed but couldn't refuse, so she took the box. She leaned back into my chest.

"Maybe you should open them for me." She said. I quickly took the box, took of the cello tape and gave the box back.

"A heated blanket?" She asked confused.

"So you don't get cold at nights, snuggling into Eddiekins." Emmett smirked at me. Bella's blushed deepened into a darker shade of red. Alice quickly reached for a smaller box and handed it to me.

"This is from Carlisle and Esme."

"Bella, this is just an apology and an official welcome to the Cullen family." Carlisle said as I opened it.

Inside it was a velvet jewellery box. Bella quickly opened it and gasped. Inside, Carlisle and Esme had gotten her a charm bracelet. There was already three charms on it: a lion, a lamb and the Cullen crest.

"Thank you!" Bella smiled through watery tears.

"May I?" I asked softly taking the charm bracelet out of the box. She nodded and I slowly fastened the bracelet around her slim wrist. I kissed her on the check again, inhaling her freesia scent again.

"The next one is from me. And it's the best of all." Alice grinned smugly.

"I got you Edward again!" She laughed.

"Thank you Alice." Bella laughed lightly.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything for you, Bella." I said feeling guilty.

"That's alright, you gave me you." The way she regards me really is ludicrous.

"I got the best Christmas gift of all; _you_. I love you, Bella. Merry Christmas."

"I love you too."

I pulled my angel in for a sweet Christmas kiss under the mistletoe that Emmett had quickly taped above our heads.

* * *

**_Thanks everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited! Sulky Edward WAS annoying! _**

**_Love you all x_**

**_(Review-ers will be give Cullen/werewolf of their choice ;) )_**


	6. Getting into each others pants

_**AN: A new chapter! Finally! I am so sorry I haven't updated, personal issues. But, anyway,! **_

_**I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT.**_

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**BELLA POV:**

A few months have passed since Edward returned, since I woke up. Charlie was not happy but let me see Edward again- eventually. The school took back Edward and Alice with open arms and the hospital made it no secret that they were happy Esme didn't 'enjoy the city life.'

However at the moment, I was at the Cullen's home, sitting next to (well, _on_) Edward who was absentmindedly playing with the charms on my bracelet. I never took the bracelet off, it was my lucky talisman. Charlie threw a fit about it, and demanded that I take it off. I refused and simply told him that it represents that he will never leave again. I still see Charlie glaring at the bracelet as if it's the bracelets fault.

Edward stiffened slightly and I turned to see why, his eyes were light but were distracted; he was obviously reading someone's thoughts.

"No." Edward said softly frowning.

"Aw, c'mon Eddie!" A voice came from upstairs somewhere, must be Emmett.

"Emmett, just a-"

Emmett's face appeared next to mine suddenly, cutting off whatever Edward was about to say.

"Hey Bella! So, now, listen, while you were here all by your lonesome and Eddie boy was all depressed, we got and read these books! Books in your point of view, but we stopped because we came back and I think we should carry on reading. I'll catch you up. What do you say?"

Wait, _what_?

Edward seeing the alarm in my eyes and my (obviously) read cheeks hurried to assure me. "We don't have to read them, if you don't want to." He murmured softly, while glowering at Emmett.

I thought it through, _maybe they can finally understand what we went through. But it's in MY point of view? They will know everything I thought? Yes, but now they will understand everything –_

_Great, now I'm arguing with myself._

I simply nodded my head at Emmett before I could start shouting at myself.

We gathered in their lounge, seated by couples. I sat on Edward's lap, with a blanket around me to keep me warm. Maybe not the comfiest seat, but definitely the best. I don't want to ever be apart from him again.

"I'll start!" Emmett said with a glint in his eyes. "It's called **PHENOMENON**."

"**When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different.**

**It was the light. It was still the grey-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I****realized there was no fog veiling my window.**

**I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror.'**

I felt a shiver run down my back as I realised what this day was. Edward obviously felt my shiver but thought it was from cold and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

**A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of my truck, and whitened the road. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid — coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. I had enough trouble not falling down when the ground was dry; it might be safer for me to go back to bed now.'**

"Next time, rather stay in bed." A low musical voice whispered in my ear.

I glanced at him, curious. _I _was the one who was nearly hit by a truck, not him.

"I nearly lost you, and I didn't even have you." He whispered even softer, answering my question before I even asked. Is he sure he can't read my mind?

'**Charlie had left for work before I got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having my own place, and I found myself revelling in the aloneness instead of being lonely.'**

Blood rushed to my cheeks and I ducked my head to let my hair cover my face. But stupid vampires will already know I'm blushing.

"Don't worry; we especially know how you feel." Alice's bell-like voice broke through my hair barrier. A few agreements came from the rest of the Cullen clan. Edward pushed my hair back behind my ears and I turned slightly to see give me a look that read _"Don't hide your face from me."_

'**I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice from the carton. I felt excited to go to school, and that scared me. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Edward Cullen. And that was very, very stupid.'**

"Yes, Bella, very, very, very, very-"

"Emmett, for gods' sake. We _know._ No stop fooling around and read."

'**I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect face. I was well aware that my league and his league were spheres that did not touch.'**

"No, Bella, _you _aren't in _my_ league. _I _don't deserve _you_. How can I ever prove it to you?"

"Just stay with me, please." I mumbled to my lap. Edward sighed nearly inaudibly and tightened his arms around me.

"I'm yours. Forever."

'**So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.**

"But I was because today I was going to jump his bones.'

I spluttered, "IT DOES NOT SAY THAT."

Emmett snickered, "Yes, it does."

I could practically feel my temper and embarrassment rising.

"EMMETT CULLEN. YOU READ PROPERLY."

"Or you'll do what, little Bella?" Emmett taunted me with a sneer.

"_I'll_ withhold sex. Now read, you buffoon, I'm getting bored." Rosalie scolded him, crossed her legs and didn't even glance in my direction.

_Wait, what?_

'**It took every ounce of my concentration to make it down the icy brick driveway alive. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish.'**

"Prophetic, hey Bella?" Jasper winked at me, his tone teasing.

_So Rosalie stood up for me and Jasper is teasing me while sitting happily across me. This isn't strange at all. _

'**Driving to school, I distracted myself from had brought on, when I heard an odd sound.**

**It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up, startled.'**

The tension was thick; I couldn't even breathe in it. Edward was stiff behind me, I grabbed his hand to calm him down. How is he going to handle James?

'**I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once.**

**Edward Cullen-'**

"Wait, you were about to _die_ and the first thing you notice is _Edward_?!"

"Wouldn't you do the same for Rose?"

"Point taken.

'-**was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot.'**

"Oh, now you notice the death machine hurdling toward you." Rosalie muttered sarcastically.

'**It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes.**

**Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the icy blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground.'**

AND THAT WAS EDWARD TRYING TO GET INTO BELLA'S –er- MY PANTS.'

"Oh for the love of everything good and holy!" Rosalie quickly grabbed the book and proceeded to whack Emmett on the head with every word. "Just. Read. Properly. Or. Else." She tossed the book on his lap and angrily marched over to where Alice and Jasper where sitting. She sat down, making it seem stiff and graceful at the same time. She waved her hand at Emmett in a 'Go on' gesture.

'**I was lying on the pavement behind the tan car I'd parked next to. But I didn't have a chance to notice anything else, because the van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again.'**

"And the bad luck of Bella, continues!" Alice laughed.

'**A low oath made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body.**

**Then his hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a rag dolls, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt — exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been.**

**It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began. In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more than one person shouting my name. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Edward Cullen's low, frantic voice in my ear.**

**"Bella? Are you all right?"**

**"I'm fine." My voice sounded strange. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.**

**"Be careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think you hit your head pretty hard."**

**I became aware of a throbbing ache centred above my left ear.**

**"Ow," I said, surprised.**

**"That's what I thought." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter.'**

Esme suddenly fixed Edward with a stern look. "That was not a laughing matter or an appropriate time!"

Edward looked sheepish. He didn't respond, he just nodded. Emmett smirked at Edward. I could only guess what the look entailed but it seemed along the lines of, 'You are such a mommy's boy.'

'"**How in the…" I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. "How did you get over here so fast?"'**

"He flew." Rosalie said sarcastically.

"Well, I didn't know!"

"It still is posed as a stupid question. And the fact that is the _first_ thing you ask after nearly being killed."

I blushed, again, not quite sure how to answer. It seemed relevant at the time.

'"**I was standing right next to you, Bella," he said, his tone serious again.**

**I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in the limited space. I looked at his concerned, innocent expression and was disoriented again by the force of his gold-coloured eyes. What was I asking him?'**

"I should use that more often." Edward chuckled into my ear.

"No, please, I seem retarded enough."

"My sweet Bella, you can never be retarded." I felt faint from his breath washing over my face, I turned around and-

"LOVEBIRDS, STOP TRYING TO GET INTO EACHOTHERS PANTS. I'M TRYING TO READ."

"Emmett!" Edward hissed as I blushed once more, mortified.

'**And then they found us, a crowd of people with tears streaming down their faces, shouting at each other, shouting at us.**

**"Don't move," someone instructed. "Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted.**

**There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up, but Edward's cold hand pushed my shoulder down.'**

And he travelled further down because he wanted to get in my pants.'

Esme got up, took the book from her son (after hitting the back of his head.) and decided to read for him.

'"**Just stay put for now."**

**"But it's cold," I complained. It surprised me when he chuckled under his breath. There was an edge to the sound.**

**"You were over there," I suddenly remembered, and his chuckle stopped short. "You were by your car."**

**His expression turned hard. "No, I wasn't."'**

"Brilliant response, Eddie."

'"**I saw you." All around us was chaos. I could hear the gruffer voices of adults arriving on the scene. But I obstinately held on to our argument; I was right, and he was going to admit it.'**

"Edward? Admitting he's wrong? Good luck with that." Jasper snorted.

'"**Bella, I was standing with you, and I pulled you out of the way." He unleashed the full, devastating power of his eyes on me, as if trying to communicate something crucial.'**

"I think that 'something crucial' is 'shut up now.'."

"Nobody cares Emmett."

"Harsh."

'"**No." I set my jaw. **

**The gold in his eyes blazed. "Please, Bella."**

**"Why?" I demanded.**

**"Trust me," he pleaded, his soft voice overwhelming.**

**I could hear the sirens now. "Will you promise to explain everything to me later?"**

**"Fine," he snapped, abruptly exasperated.'**

"Edward Cullen! Where are your manners?"

"Sorry, Esme."

'"**Fine," I repeated angrily.**

**It took six EMTs and two teachers — Mr. Varner and Coach Clapp — to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Edward vehemently refused his, and I tried to do the same, but the traitor told them I'd hit my head and probably had a concussion. I almost died of humiliation when they put on the neck brace. It looked like the entire school was there, watching soberly as they loaded me in the back of the ambulance. Edward got to ride in the front. It was maddening.'**

"Little Bella isn't so happy with Eddie, even after he saved her life! Tsk tsk." Emmett shook his head sadly as if this was a terrible burden for him to bear.

'**To make matters worse, Chief Swan arrived before they could get me safely away.**

**"Bella!" he yelled in panic when he recognized me on the stretcher.**

**"I'm completely fine, Char — Dad," I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with me."**

**He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion. I tuned him out to consider the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in my head. When they'd lifted me away from the car, I had seen the deep dent in the tan car's bumper — a very distinct dent that fit the contours of Edward's shoulders… as if he had braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame…'**

"Once again, you have proven that you are unnaturally observant for age, and humans for that matter." Carlisle smiled at me, his eyes almost far away, recalling past experiences.

"Yes, she obviously observed Eddie's shoulders a lot!"

'**And then there was his family, looking on from the distance, with expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety.'**

"Why should we be concerned when we are trying to get rid of him?" Jasper smirked at Edward.

"I suggest you should stop talking about yourself, Jasper."

'**I tried to think of a logical solution that could explain what I had just seen — a solution that excluded the assumption that I was insane.'**

Emmett seemed to ponder this. "He could have had an adrenaline rush!"

I rolled my eyes, "And adrenaline rush?"

"They're very common, you can _Google_ it." (_**A/N: Yes! I quoted the movie)**_

'**Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me. What made it worse was that Edward simply glided through the hospital doors under his own power. I ground my teeth together.**

**They put me in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-patterned curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give me some privacy, I decided I wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, I quickly unfastened the Velcro and threw it under the bed.'**

"Bella!" Carlisle gave me a stern look but his lips were twitching. "I guess I know where to look whenever I need one."

"Sorry Doc!"

'**There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed next to me. I recognized Tyler Crowley from my Government class beneath the blood-stained bandages wrapped tightly around his head. Tyler looked a hundred times worse than I felt. But he was staring anxiously at me.'**

"I know that I'm not the one who can see the future-"

"Damn straight."

"-But something tells me he's going to change from staring 'anxiously' to staring 'adoringly'."

Alice sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Emmett, you do realise that this book is in the past? So predicting the future is pointless."

"You just ruined my moment!"

'"**Bella, I'm so sorry!"**

**"I'm fine, Tyler — you look awful, are you all right?" As we spoke, nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek.**

**He ignored me. "I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast, and I hit the ice wrong…" He winced as one nurse started dabbing at his face.**

**"Don't worry about it; you missed me."**

**"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone…"**

**"Umm… Edward pulled me out of the way."**

**He looked confused. "Who?"'**

"Doctor Who!" We all quickly turned to stare at Emmett who looked quite glad vampires can't blush. "It's an, um, good, TV show, with a Time Lord and I'll- I'll shut up now."

'"**Edward Cullen — he was standing next to me." I'd always been a terrible liar; I didn't sound convincing at all.'**

Everyone agreed with that statement.

"Thanks guys." I sighed.

'"**Cullen? I didn't see him… wow, it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"**

**"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher."**

**I knew I wasn't crazy. What had happened? There was no way to explain away what I'd seen.**

**They wheeled me away then, to X-ray my head. I told them there was nothing wrong, and I was right. Not even a concussion. I asked if I could leave, but the nurse said I had to talk to a doctor first. So I was trapped in the ER, waiting, harassed by Tyler's constant apologies and promises to make it up to me. No matter how many times I tried to convince him I was fine, he continued to torment himself. Finally, I closed my eyes and ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling.**

**"Is she sleeping?" a musical voice asked. My eyes flew open.**

**Edward was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking. I glared at him. It wasn't easy — it would have been more natural to ogle.'**

"Are you ogling Edward's pants, Bella?"

Rolling my eyes at him, I shook my head.

'"**Hey, Edward, I'm really sorry —" Tyler began. Edward lifted a hand to stop him.**

**"No blood, no foul,"'**

All the Cullen 'kids' snorted. "Interesting pun, Edward." Alice laughed.

Edward shot her his crooked smile, "Why thank you Alice."

'**-he said, flashing his brilliant teeth. He moved to sit on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing me. He smirked again.**

**"So, what's the verdict?" he asked me.**

**"There's nothing wrong with me at all, but they won't let me go," I complained. "How come you aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?"**

**"It's all about who you know," he answered. "But don't worry, I came to spring you."**

**Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth fell open. He was young, he was blonde… and he was handsomer than any movie star I'd ever seen.'**

"Thanks Bella." Carlisle winked at me.

Esme laughed, "Don't stoke his ego!"

'**He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Edward's father.**

**"So, Miss Swan," Dr. Cullen said in a remarkably appealing voice, "how are you feeling?"**

**"I'm fine," I said, for the last time, I hoped.**

**He walked to the lightboard on the wall over my head, and turned it on.**

**"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Does your head hurt? Edward said you hit it pretty hard."**

**"Its fine," I repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Edward.**

**The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along my skull. He noticed when I winced.**

**"Tender?" he asked.**

**"Not really." I'd had worse.'**

"That doesn't help much." Edward groaned.

'**I heard a chuckle, and looked over to see Edward's patronizing smile. My eyes narrowed.**

**"Well, your father is in the waiting room — you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."**

**"Can't I go back to school?" I asked, imagining Charlie trying to be attentive.**

**"Maybe you should take it easy today."**

**I glanced at Edward. "Does he get to go to school?"**

**"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived," Edward said smugly.'**

Alice frowned, "After all that and you still love this idiot?"

I winked at her, "It was the money." All the Cullens (minus Edward) burst into laughter.

"You think you are very clever, don't you?"

"I don't think I am clever, I know I am clever."

'"**Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected, "most of the school seems to be in the waiting room."**

**"Oh no," I moaned, covering my face with my hands.**

**Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to stay?"**

**"No, no!" I insisted, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly. Too quickly — I staggered, and Dr. Cullen caught me. He looked concerned.'**

Carlisle flashed a slight smirk. "I had to act quickly, Edward had nearly ran across the room to catch you."

'"**I'm fine," I assured him again. No need to tell him my balance problems had nothing to do with hitting my head. "Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested as he steadied me.**

**"It doesn't hurt that bad," I insisted.**

**"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as he signed my chart with a flourish.**

**"Lucky Edward happened to be standing next to me," I amended with a hard glance at the subject of my statement.'**

I winced at the reminder of how harsh I was, "Sorry." I said quietly to Edward. He simply just kissed my cheek.

'"**Oh, well, yes," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly occupied with the papers in front of him. Then he looked away, at Tyler, and walked to the next bed. My intuition flickered; the doctor was in on it.'**

Emmett snorted, "Of course the doctor was in on it! Did you really think that we were supernatural but hid it from our oh-so-normal parents?"

I opened and closed my mouth, not sure what to say. I tried very hard not to start blushing, but I could feel a light red staining my cheeks.

"She didn't know, she had never met our parents before. It could be very likely that our parents were normal." I smiled gratefully at Alice , who found the words before I could even think of them.

'"**I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Tyler, and began checking his cuts.**

**As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Edward's side.**

**"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. He took a step back from me, his jaw suddenly clenched.**

**"Your father is waiting for you," he said through his teeth.**

**I glanced at Dr. Cullen and Tyler.**

**"I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I pressed.'**

"Sure, and by 'talk' you mean that Bella will try to get into Eddie's pants? Because Eddie is too cowardly to get some himself."

"For God's sake, Emmett! Shut up!" Edward hissed.

'**He glared, and then turned his back and strode down the long room. I nearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, he spun around to face me.**

**"What do you want?" he asked, sounding annoyed. His eyes were cold.**

**His unfriendliness intimidated me.'**

"That's what it takes to intimidate you? Being unfriendly?" I heard Edward sigh.

'**My words came out with less severity than I'd intended. "You owe me an explanation," I reminded him.**

**"I saved your life — I don't owe you anything."**

**I flinched back from the resentment in his voice. "You promised."**

**"Bella, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about." His tone was cutting.**

**My temper flared now, and I glared defiantly at him. "There's nothing wrong with my head."**

**He glared back. "What do you want from me, Bella?"**

**"I want to know the truth," I said. "I want to know why I'm lying for you."**

**"What do you think happened?" he snapped.'**

Esme stopped reading and glared at Edward. "You apologise to Bella, right now. You were very rude!"

"Sorry, my beautiful Bella for being rude to you." _**And leaving you. **_He didn't have to say it, I knew. He had apologised and was trying so hard to amend his mistake that I couldn't fault him.

"All is forgiven." _**Even leaving me behind.**_

Edward just buried his head in the crook of my neck and shoulder.

'**It came out in a rush.**

**"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me — Tyler didn't see you, either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. That van was going to crush us both — and it didn't, and your hands left dents in the side of it — and you left a dent in the other car, and you're not hurt at all — and the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up…" I could hear how crazy it sounded, and I couldn't continue. I was so mad I could feel the tears coming; I tried to force them back by grinding my teeth together. He was staring at me incredulously. But his face was tense, defensive.**

**"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone questioned my sanity, but it only made me more suspicious. It was like a perfectly delivered line by a skilled actor.'**

"Bella, you really are observant."

"Thanks Jasper."

'**I merely nodded once, jaw tight.**

**"Nobody will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of derision now.**

**"I'm not going to tell anybody." I said each word slowly, carefully controlling my anger.**

**Surprise flitted across his face. "Then why does it matter?"'**

"That really did confuse me." Edward's voice was muffled by my neck

**"It matters to me," I insisted. "I don't like to lie — so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it."'**

"It's not that you don't like to lie, it's that you _can't_."

I sighed, "Gee, thanks Emmett."

'"**Can't you just thank me and get over it?"**

**"Thank you." I waited, fuming and expectant.**

**"You're not going to let it go, are you?"**

**"No."**

**"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment."'**

"Oh she's enjoying it alright." Emmett said eyeing Edward's position with a cheeky grin. "Almost as much as if she got into his pants."

Everyone groaned and resisted the urge to kick Emmett out.

'**We scowled at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying to keep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by his livid, glorious face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel.'**

"Hardly, a destroying demon who burns everything in his path." Edward muttered.

I frowned, "No, you are my angel, my guardian angel. You have saved my life more times than I can remember."

"That doesn't make up for what I did."

"That doesn't matter now, what matters is that you are here now." Edward just pulled me closer (how is that even possible?) and sighed.

'"**Why did you even bother?" I asked frigidly.**

**He paused, and for a brief moment his stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable.**

**"I don't know," he whispered.'**

"HE WANTED TO GET INTO YOUR PANTS."

Edward shifted my off his lap and onto the couch before I could blink and lunged at Emmett. He grabbed him and threw him to the other side of the room where Emmett landed on his feet.

"You got to do better than that, Lover Boy." Emmett taunted.

Edward snarled and ran quicker than my eyes could follow. However, before Edward could reach Emmet, Esme appeared and stopped Edward.

"Both of you; sit down and behave! Emmett stop with the inappropriate jokes and Edward control your temper."

Dejectedly, Emmett nodded and sat down again. Edward walked briskly to me, sat down and pulled me onto his lap again before relaxing.

'**And then he turned his back on me and walked away.**

**I was so angry, it took me a few minutes until I could move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit at the end of the hallway.**

**The waiting room was more unpleasant than I'd feared. It seemed like every face I knew in Forks was there, staring at me. Charlie rushed to my side; I put up my hands.**

**"There's nothing wrong with me," I assured him sullenly. I was still aggravated, not in the mood for chitchat.**

**"What did the doctor say?"**

**"Dr. Cullen saw me, and he said I was fine and I could go home." I sighed. Mike and Jessica and Eric were all there, beginning to converge on us. "Let's go," I urged.**

**Charlie put one arm behind my back, not quite touching me, and led me to the glass doors of the exit. I waved sheepishly at my friends, hoping to convey that they didn't need to worry anymore. It was a huge relief— the first time I'd ever felt that way — to get into the cruiser.**

**We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Charlie was there. I was positive that Edward's defensive behaviour in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things I still could hardly believe I'd witnessed.**

**When we got to the house, Charlie finally spoke.**

**"Um… you'll need to call Renée." He hung his head, guilty.**

**I was appalled. "You told Mom."'**

"The scariest thing… telling your mother!"

"Yes, dearie."

'"**Sorry."**

**I slammed the cruiser's door a little harder than necessary on my way out.**

**My mom was in hysterics, of course. I had to tell her I felt fine at least thirty times before she would calm down. She begged me to come home — forgetting the fact that home was empty at the moment — but her pleas were easier to resist than I would have thought. I was consumed by the mystery Edward presented. And more than a little obsessed by Edward himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I wasn't as eager to escape Forks as I should be, as any normal, sane person would be.**

**I decided I might as well go to bed early that night. Charlie continued to watch me anxiously, and it was getting on my nerves. I stopped on my way to grab three Tylenol from the bathroom. They did help, and, as the pain eased, I drifted to sleep.**

**That was the first night I dreamed of Edward Cullen.'**

"And that's the end of the chapter." Esme smiled.

I released a content smile. _Thank God._ However, all the Cullen's stiffened.

"There's someone coming." Edward said. I sucked in my breath, quickly. _Was it another vampire? _

Edward shifted uncomfortably underneath me. "It's-it's your dad, Bella,"

* * *

**_Dum, dum, duuuum. _**

**_Thank you to all who reviewed, favourited and followed. I love you like Edward loves Bella. _**

**_Oh, and I changed a few words from the American spelling to British spelling because that's what I use. _**

**_Pretty please review?_**


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